Categories
events Freestyle

The GB Freestyle Academy Camp 2026

August sees the return of the GB Freestyle Academy Camp which is a week long camp held in Nottingham. The camp is for junior paddlers aged 11-17 and this year 34 enthusiastic teenagers joined for the week. It was my fourth year helping to run the camp and honestl, I think it was the smoothest camp we have ever had!

I have already written a short write up for the camp on Kayak Session which you can read here, but I wanted to share a longer article on this blog so that I could include more of the personal stories and highlight moments of the week. Enjoy!

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Categories
Gear

Pyranha Storm Review: How It Compares to the Firecracker

I’ve been paddling the small Pyranha Storm kayak for a while now, and I’ve absolutely loved getting to know this kayak! As someone who also owns, and loves, the Pyranha Firecracker, comparing the two has been fascinating. They are both half slice kayaks and yet they feel so different from each other on the water. Figuring out where each one excels has been a lot of fun.

Before I get started on the review, I want to be transparent. Pyranha loaned me this Storm so I could try it and share my thoughts, but this isn’t a paid review. Everything here is genuinely my experience.

This review shares my honest impressions of the Storm from the perspective of a Firecracker paddler who enjoys playful river running. The question I get asked most often is simple: What do I prefer – Storm or Firecracker? By the end of this review, you’ll have my honest answer and the reasons behind it. Enjoy!

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Categories
Mind set

A love of learning: The ‘secret’ to progression in white water kayaking

‘I’m just so in love with learning at the moment!’ I excitedly shouted at my friend Matt as I paddled back into the eddy at Stanley Embankment. It was my first time paddling at this beloved tidal wave and I was having the time of my life! I had just tried to spin, caught an edge and dramatically got thrown upside down. As I rolled up on the messy eddy line, I was already thinking about my next surf. I knew what I had done wrong and was eager to try it again with a small change to see if it would make it better.

Something has shifted for me over the last six months. I’ve found myself in one of the most positive headspaces I’ve ever had for kayaking: playful, experimental, and genuinely comfortable with trying and failing. That mindset has quietly been transforming my paddling. I think I’ve made more progress in these last few months than I have in the last few years.

This article is a personal reflection on why that’s happening. It is about how embracing learning and small failures has reignited my confidence and accelerated my progression. I hope that, wherever you are in your own kayaking journey, some part of this resonates.

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Categories
General

What it’s really like to be in a relationship with a woman who loves white water kayaking

I’ve been kayaking for about twelve years, and for eleven of those, I’ve been in a relationship with another kayaker, Tom. We are actually married now. My friend Lewis once joked, ‘So many guys wish their girlfriends loved kayaking as much as they do… but they should meet you two and see what it’s really like. They might realise that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side!’

On paper, being with someone who shares your passion sounds perfect. In reality, when that passion is white water kayaking; an all-consuming, time-hungry, rain-dependent obsession, it means your relationship is going to be dominated by it. You won’t be a ‘normal couple’ doing ‘normal couple things,’ and honestly, that’s mostly fine.

After more than a decade of paddling white water and loving someone who paddles too, here’s what I’ve learned about what it’s really like to be in a kayaking relationship.

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Categories
Gear

Best Kayaking Gear for Summer: My Favourite Picks as a Paddler

The last two months have been HOT across Europe, with back-to-back heat waves. I’ve been very grateful that white water kayaking gives me an excuse to get on the water and cool off. Dressing well for summer paddling makes a huge difference, and my warm weather kit looks very different from what I wear in winter.

In this article I am going to share my favourite summer kayaking gear options, from what I actually use, why I use them, and when each piece works best.

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Categories
events ShePaddles

Llandysul’s ShePaddles Summer Celebration: Where Women Lift Each Other Up

I have always been a big fan of Llandysul Paddlers and the incredible community they have created in Llandysul so when Lydia from Paddle Cymru invited me to attend the ShePaddles Summer Celebration Festival, I of course said yes!

We had a wonderful weekend of sunshine, being out on the water and the opportunity to meet and connect with other women in the paddling community. This article is here to tell you all about it!

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Categories
Mind set

The Secret to Being Happy as a White Water Kayaker!

I was on a long drive coming back from a kayaking trip recently, chatting away with the friend I was sharing the journey with. At some point, I threw out the conversation starter: “What have been the happiest times of your life, and why?”

When I tried to answer it myself, I realised something – right now might genuinely be the happiest I’ve ever been. That thought stayed with me for the rest of the journey. Why this moment? Why this version of my life?

As a outwardly bubbly person, people often ask me what my ‘secret’ is to being happy and the truth is… I have seven of them! They are things that make both my life and my time on the river feel joyful and meaningful. Pillars if you like, that I try to lead my life by and approach my kayaking with.

So here they are – my 7 secrets to being happy as a white water kayaker, and maybe even a happier human too.

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Categories
General Trips

How to Plan a White Water Kayaking Trip to the Alps

Every time I come back from a kayaking trip, I get the same message: “I’d love to go on a trip like that but I wouldn’t know where to start.” After my recent adventures in Valsesia, those messages followed, so I decided to put everything I’ve learned into one clear, friendly guide to planning your first white water kayaking trip to the Alps.

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Categories
Trips

Friendship, gelato and finding my sunshine again: My first time white water kayaking in Valsesia

Valsesia has been on my kayaking destination bucket list for years! After years of watching my friends post photos of steep creeks and delicious gelato, this year I finally made it there myself! A small group of us headed out there at the end of May for a week of white water kayaking in the Valsesia valley and it was wonderful! It was an eventful week with big highs and lows and an unexpected ending. Here is the story of our trip!

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Categories
events

Palm and Pyranha Park Jam goes to Hohenlimburg!

By a happy surprise, I was able to attend the Palm and Pyranha Park Jam event in Hohenlimburg, Germany at the end of May. Having been part of the UK Park Jam events for the last 3 years, I was excited to join for the Germany event. The Park Jam at Hohenlimburg first ran in 2025 and I had heard from the rest of the day that it had been a fantastic day. Not only was this my first Germany Park Jam, but it was also the first of the 2026 Park Jam series.

We had a wonderful time in Hohenlimburg and I felt so happy to get a glimpse of the awesome kayaking community that exists within Germany. It was a really special day and I wanted to write an article to share some of the highlights with you all.

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